GULF SHORES - The Gulf Shores City Council met twice on Monday as a result of last week’s Labor Day holiday.

The first meeting was the rescheduled Committee of the Whole Agenda meeting, followed by the regular council meeting. During the first meeting, the council discussed a request from Municipal Court Clerk/Magistrate Ken McKenzie proposing an amendment to increase court costs collected by the city from $35.50 to $49.50 for traffic cases and from $37 to $56 for misdemeanor criminal cases. The measure passed unanimously during the regular meeting.

Chief Police Arthur Bourne conferred with the council concerning an application his department is working to complete that would secure a one-time $25,000 grant from the Alabama Department of Economic Development and Community Affairs for the purchase of equipment. The council authorized the application by resolution during the regular meeting.

Recreation Director Harold Samples told the council he’s received a proposed contract from the Turkey Bowl Classic, a youth football tournament traditionally held in Mobile. A representative of the program, speaking to the council, cited lodging availability as the primary reason organizers are seeking to change the event’s venues to stadiums throughout Baldwin County.

“The city would have direct costs from hosting the event, but they would mostly be a result of equipment purchases that would only have to be made once,” Mayor Billy Duke said after the meeting. According to the representative, the city could also expect to see an increase in lodging room nights to around 3,000 at a time of the year (the end of November) when the local economy is extremely slow.

The outline development plan for the Colonial Traditions Planned Unit Development was on the committee meeting agenda, but didn’t warrant significant discussion. The plan was approved during the regular council meeting by the passage of a resolution, while councilmen Robert Craft and Philip Harris abstained.

Public Works Director Mark Acreman presented to the council bid information concerning a central irrigation controller system that will allow the city to regulate the irrigation of areas such as Meyer Park and the Sportsplex from one location. The bid by Harold Samples and Steve Waters was in the amount of $27,000. The bid was unanimously awarded by resolution during the regular meeting that followed.

After the meeting, the mayor said in the not so distant future the city would likely want to add a remote to the system for around $5,000. The remote would allow the central system to be controlled by internet access from virtually anywhere.

The final item of the committee meeting concerned the city’s purchase of real estate on Clubhouse Drive (which includes the building formerly home to The Bistro) from The Meyer Foundation. The property at discussion has been valued in excess of $3 million. However, the city will only pay $1.26 million as the remaining amount will be considered a gift by the foundation. A resolution authorizing the contract passed during the regular meeting with Councilman Craft abstaining.

The regular council meeting opened with public hearings concerning two restaurant retail liquor licenses and a special retail liquor license. The restaurant licenses were unanimously approved for Gary Investments, LLC dba Indigo Joe's and First South Hospitality Inc. dba Nick’s at Gulf Shores. The special license was also unanimously approved for The Links at Gulf Shores Hospitality Inc. dba Emerald Greens.

The council unanimously approved an application for a public assembly permit concerning the Shrimp Festival 10K Run scheduled for Oct. 13. Among other items that unanimously passed during the regular meeting were the adoption of the fiscal year 2008 General Fund and Capital Improvements Fund budgets, a resolution authorizing the Gulf Shores Utilities Board to dispose of surplus real property, a resolution accepting Ancient Oaks Circle as a city street, acceptance of funds from the county health department for comprehensive mosquito control, and the awarding of a non-exclusive franchise to TSWS Inc. dba Pot-O-Gold to conduct business in the city in the area of debris collection and disposal.